Plate glass storage rack



sept. 1, 1959 B. w. ALLEN, JR PLATE GLASS STORAGE RACK Filed Sept. 15, 1958 A INVENTOR. Emo/v VL/ ALE Arme/ws? Unite@ States Patent 2,902,16 PLATE GLAss STORAGE 'RACK Byron W. Allen, Jr., San Bernardino, Calif. Application september frs, 195s, serial No. 761,116

s claims. (el. zii- 41) This invention relates to a storage rack for holding thin, flat members, such as plate glass, in vertical, edgesupported stored position, and is an improvement of the rack shown in my abandoned application, Serial No. 696,526, filed November 14, 1957.

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage rack that may be shipped in knock-down condition and is adapted for easy assembly with ordinary hand tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and novel connecting means between the knock-down components of the rack which, when applied to connect said components, provides suitable rigidity of construction to safely store sheets of plate glass.

A further object of the invention is to provide a storage rack of the character above referred `to that embodies a novel angular frame for confining sheets of glass supported on a oor to which said frame is secured.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by |way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a storage rack for plate glass and the like according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged and fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the front portion of the rack.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 4 4 of Pig. 3.

Fig. 5A is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional View as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary plan view of the upper portion of the rack, as seen in Fig. 1.

The present storage rack comprises, generally, a base 10 to receive and hold substantially vertically edge-supported sheets of glass or similar rigid sheets, a pair of vertical, rearwardly disposed members 11 connected at their lower ends to said base 10, and a sloping frame unit 12 extending between the forward end of the base and the upper ends of the members 11 and constituting means to hold sheets suppo-rted in the base in vertical or nearly vertical disposition and separated one from the other.

It will be noted that the base 10 and frame 12 are planar components of generally flat form and that the members 11 are narrow, elongated elements. As a consequence, said base, members and frame may be placed in compact, knock-down relationship and crated in such condition for facile transportation to a site of erection.

-said lands, as shown in Fig. 4.

ralfice The' crate would not be much larger than -the length of the longest component, the ywidth of the widest component, and of a thickness to accommodate the mentioned components of the rack, when superimposed one on the other.

The base 10 comprises a preferably wooden floor 15 that is provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced lands 16 that define grooves 17 therebetween. The forward edge 18 of said floor is preferably formed to be at an upward and rearward angle, as may be best seen in Fig. 3. Said base 10 includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced cleats or braces 19 that are preferably formed as ilanged channel members. The same may be alixed to the floor as by drive screws 20a and serve to space the oor above the support surface on which the rack is placed. All except preferably the next-to-therearmost cleat 20 may be coextensive in length with the width of oor 15. Said cleat 20 has its ends extending beyond the sides of the floor, as in Fig. 5, with the outturned flanges removed so the extension has a simple channel form.

The members 11 are shown as channels' that are so much wider than the channel form of cleat 20 that the same may receive the protruding ends of said cleat and be secured to said ends, as by bolts 21. ln such manner, the members 11 are fastened to the base 10 to constitute vertical standards or columns that have a reanward position but are inward from the rear edge of the floor 1-5. It is preferred, as shown, that the members 11 be perpendicular to the base 10. However, a forwardly angled disposition of the members 11 may be had, if desired, simply by providing the ends of cleat Ztl with the angle or forward tilt desired.

It will be seen from Fig. 6 that the channels of members 11 face inwardly toward each other.

The frame unit 12 comprises a complete unit that is made up of side frame members 22 connected by a top frame member 23, and by a bottom frame member 24 to form a rectangular frame suitable to lit, at its upper end, between the upper ends of members 11 and, at its lower end, forwardly of the sloping edge 18 of the oor 15. Said frame members 22, 23 and 24 are advantageously made of square-sectioned tubing for lightness and strength, the member 24 being set so that the same has its sides vertical and its top and bottom horizontal when the side frame members 22 are in the sloping position shown.

The frame unit 12 also includes a plurality of transversely-spaced rods 25 that are connected by hook ends 26 to the lower frame member 24 and by nut-provided threaded ends 27 that extend through the upper frame member 23. The spacing of said rods conforms to that of the lands 16 of the floor, the rods being aligned with It IWill be realized that the rods may be suitably tautened by take-up at their ends 27 and that said rods, therefore, comprise proper means for supporting the upper edge of a sheet of glass G that has its lower edge in an aligned groove 17 of the floor.

In order to suitably lit the frame unit 12 in place with respect to the floor 15 and particularly relative to the edge 18, the same is provided with a metal plate 28 that is secured to the lower face of frame member 24, as by tack welds 29, and has a rearwardly disposed flange 30 adapted to engage against the forward face of the cleat 19 that is nearest the front of the base. Bolts 31, welded in place on said cleat and extending through holes 32 in said plate flange, are provided with nuts 33, the same constituting means to secure the frame unit 12, by its lower end, to the base 10.

The frame unit 12 is provided with a floor piece 34 that exactly matches the floor 15, land for land and groove for groove, thereby constituting a forward extension of said floor. Said oor piece 34 has a rearward sloping edge 35 that is the complement of edge 18 and is spaced therefrom by the rods 25. In all respects, the floor 15 and oor piece 34 line up so that a sheet G slid into place, rst, onto the floor piece 34 and, then, onto the floor 15, Will slide nicely and without snagging.

The floor piece 34 is fastened, as by nails 36, to a filler block 37 forward of the frame member 24, and bolts 38 are provided to fasten said block to the' plate 2S. It will be seen that the frame unit 12 has a lower forwardly protruding door structure that comprises the elements 34, 37, 24 and 28, that the same tits nicely adjacent the forward edge 18 of the door 15 and against the nearest cleat 19, and that securement of this extension to the floor is simply effected by the bolts 31 and nuts 33.

At its upper end, the frame unit 12 on both sides, is provided lwith a clip 39, shown in the form of a small section of channel welded to the frame sides 22, the same fitting the channels of members 11 as do the extensions of cleats 20. Of course, said clips 39 are set at an angle to engage in members 11 when the frame unit 12 is at the proper angle of assembly. Bolts 40 secure the clips to the members 11.

Erection of the rack is simple. The base is placed on a support surface where desired. The members 11 are secured to said base by means of bolts 21. The complete frame unit is then placed with its clips 39 in the channels of members 11 and the bolts 40 applied to fasten the upper portion of the assembly. Finally, the bolts 31 are matched to and entered into holes 32 and the nuts 33 are applied fastening the lower portion of the assembly. The rack is no'w completely erected ready for glass storage. That the rack may be readily knocked down for transportation to another site of erection is evident from the foregoing.

The rods 25 may be covered, as in the earlier application, with non-metallic sleeves or covers 25a, thereby keeping the glass G from metal contact while engaged between the rods. This feature is shown in Fig. 3 and, of course, will be used on the rods shown in Fig. 4 also. While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what I now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore, I do not desire to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A storage rack for plate glass comprising, a longitudinally-grooved base, vertical members fastened to the base at the opposite sides and rearward portion thereof, said members extending upwardly from the base, and a rectangular frame unit fastened at `its upper end to the upper ends of the vertical members and at its lower end to the forward portion of the base, said unit being disposed at an angle to both the base and the vertical members and provided with a longitudinally-grooved for- Wardly extending portion constituting a forward extension of the base, said unit being provided with a plurality of longitudinal rods transversely spaced according to the grooves in the base and said forward extension, the spaces between the rods being aligned with said grooves.

2. A storage rack according to claim l in which longitudinally-spaced transverse cleats are provided to support the base, a hanged plate member secured to the forwardly-extending portion of the frame unit, and means to connect the ange of said plate member and the base cleat at the forward end of the base.

3. In a storage rack for plate glass, a longitudinallygrooved door, a longitudinally-grooved forward extension of said floor and spaced from the forward edge of the oor, and a set of rods transversely spaced according to the spacing of the floor and extension thereof and extending upward and rearwardly at an angle between said floor and extension, the spaces between the rods being aligned with said grooves.

4. In a storage rack for plate glass, a longitudinallygrooved floor, a longitudinally-grooved forward extension `of said floor and spaced from the forward edge of the floor,l a transverse member partly beneath said forward edge of the floor and partly beneath the adjacent edge of the extension, and a set of rods anchored in said member and extending through the space between said edges and upwardly and rearwardly at an angle above the floor, the spaces between the rods being aligned with said grooves.

5. In a storage rack according to claim 4, a frame connected lto said transverse member and having an upper Vend connecting the upper ends of the rods.

6. In a storage `rack according to claim 4, a frame connected to said transverse member and having an upper end connecting the upper ends of the rods, and support members connecting the upper end of the frame and a rearward portion `of the floor.

7. In a storage rack, a plate-supporting, grooved floor, a forwardly spaced grooved extension of said oor, means to connect said floor and extension in coplanar alignment, a set of rods extending through the space between the Hoor and extension and spaced according to the spacing of the grooves in the floor and extension, said spaces between the rods accommodating between them plates supported by the floor.

8. In a storage rack according to claim 7, a member connecting the ends of said rods and disposed beneath the floor and extension and across the space therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,433,724 Harn's Oct. 24, 1922. 1,921,656 Burrell v Aug. 8, 1933 

